This is a journal of my home vegetable garden. Skippy and Suzie think it's their garden, but I do all the work. We're located near Boston (USDA zone 6A). I have a community garden plot and a garden in my backyard. I try to grow all of my family's vegetables using sustainable organic methods.

Monday, August 25, 2008

harvest of big beets

I just love great big, dark red beets. I pulled lots of them this weekend. The big dark ones are a variety called Lutz. They are recommended as good winter keepers. I expect they will sweeten as they keep. I'll save these in my basement in a paper bag along with my potatoes. I have planted a fall crop of these that I hope will grow in time before the frosts come. Even if they don't, I have plenty of beets!

The lighter colored beets at the right of the tray are Chiogga's. These are very sweet now and we are eating them as fast as we can. Sweet and pale reddish with very tender leaves.

Hey Kathy, just wanted to let you know that I planted some Detroit Dark Red beet seeds today. The seed packet says that Detroit Dark Red is an heirloom variety and that the leaves have more iron than a hamburger. Who knew!

Beets can be spaced 2-3 inches apart - pretty close. It looked like my local CSA farm had them even closer - in clumps of 4 or 5 beets right next to each other. Its good for their leaves to overlap to keep the soil cool.

I think the main thing that affected the size of my beet roots was sunlight. They were always puny in my home garden with 4-5 hours of sunlight per day. In full sun they are big.

2011 info

2010 info

2009 info

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"January is the quietest month in the garden. ... But just because it looks quiet doesn't mean that nothing is happening. The soil, open to the sky, absorbs the pure rainfall while microorganisms convert tilled-under fodder into usable nutrients for the next crop of plants. The feasting earthworms tunnel along, aerating the soil and preparing it to welcome the seeds and bare roots to come."
- Rosalie Muller Wright, Editor of Sunset Magazine

Skippy's vegetable garden highlights

photos of my old garden - where we used to live

2006

2007

This is Skippy's Old Vegetable Garden photographed from an upstairs window. Dates of the photos are (from top): May 11 2006, June 30 2006, July 30 2006, September 14 2006, November 13 2006, February 26 2007, March 11 2007, April 13 2007, May 22 2007 and July 16 2007.

Quote

"A well planned garden
bathed in rain and sun.
A faithful laborer...
and the harvest shall come."
...Nancy Simms Taylor